1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sports kites.
2. Description of Prior Art
The invention relates to kites used for kite-surfing and similar sports where the kite is used and controlled by a surfer, say, to propel and sometimes lift the surfer during use. The surfer can control the power generated by the kite by manipulating control lines to alter the effective curvature of the kite canopy in a manner well understood.
In the most common basic kites, the surfer (sailor) uses a bar with two lines, one at each end of the bar. He controls the direction of the kite by pulling on the left of the bar to go left and on the right to go right.
Typically, the kite is provided with control bar with lines extending to the kite canopy; and it has already been proposed to have a control bar where three control lines are used. Sidelines are attached to respective bars on (side) tips of the kite and a centre line is attached to both forward sides on a leading edge of the kite. If the control bar is lowered (pulled down) or raised by the surfer so that the side lines are pulled down or released relative to the centre line, the angle at which the canopy passes through the air is reduced or increased (referred to as xe2x80x9cangle of attackxe2x80x9d in aviation terms) which reduces or increases the lifting force. This in turn increases or decreases the effective power generated by the kite.
It is already known to arrange for the control bar to be attachable by a harness loop that can be placed onto a suitable hook, say, on a surfer""s harness. The loop is brought into the hook from underneath.
In a present arrangement, the control bar is attached to the harness loop by a releasable friction lock applied to the central control line. The control bar has a central aperture to receive the central line and when the control bar aperture is xe2x80x98in linexe2x80x99 with the central line, the line is generally free to slide through the aperture. The lines are attached to the control bar so that with hands off the central control line is normally locked. If the control bar is rotated by say 90xc2x0 about it""s longitudinal axis, the central line is frictionally unlocked and can slide through the aperture. Such a frictional locking arrangement is not wholly reliable in its locking function of the central line and normal usage tends to cause abrasion of the central line. Further, the harness loop is free to adopt random orientations with respect to the control bar and so can be difficult engage on a harness hook during use.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce some or all these problems.
According to the invention there is provided a sports kite power control device comprising an elongate rigid control bar extending either side of a central region to provide separated hand-grippable regions for a kite user adjacent anchor points for respective opposite side control lines of the kite, an open-top lock body mounted to the central region, a central control line attached to a harness loop at one end and extending from the harness loop towards leading edges of the kite, including a stopper rigidly fixed to the central line adjacent its remote end that can be releasably fitted into the lock body through the open top and when fitted locks the central control line to restrain movement of the control line relative to the control bar in a direction towards and away from the kite.
The stopper preferably has a shaped forward end, towards the kite, that can fit snugly against an inner mating surface of the lock body arranged to maintain the axis of the central line in a predetermined relative orientation to the lock body and hence maintain the harness loop in a predetermined relative orientation for easy fitting to a harness hook.
The stopper preferably has a shaped rear end, away from the kite, that can fit against an inner mating surface of the lock body arranged to permit axial rotation of the central line with respect to the lock body.
The stopper may be an integral component having a wedge shaped forward end and a spherical shaped rear end.